| Meng-Chieh
Liu
A recipient of the 2002 Avery
Fisher Career Grant, pianist Meng-Chieh
Liu first made headlines in 1993 as a 21-year-old
student at The Curtis Institute of Music
when he substituted for Andre Watts on the
All-Star Series at the Academy of Music
in Philadelphia. The concert earned high
acclaim from critics and audience alike,
and was followed by a number of widely praised
performances, including a recital at the
Kennedy Center and a concert on the Philadelphia
All-Star Series; a Philadelphia Orchestra
appearance was also scheduled. Already an
accomplished artist at the time, Mr. Liu
had made his New York orchestral debut two
years earlier.
The stellar beginning
of Meng-Chieh Liu’s career was abruptly
halted by a rare and debilitating illness
that affected his connective tissues. Hospitalized
and almost immobile for a year, doctors
believed his chances for survival were slim
and, should he survive, playing the piano
would be “absolutely impossible.” With arduous
determination and relentless physical therapy,
Mr. Liu has been restored to health and
now embarks again on his concert career.
During the 2001-2 season his performance
schedule included U.S. appearances in New
York, Philadelphia, Boston, Seattle and
San Diego, as well as concerts in Taiwan,
Korea, Japan and Spain.
A dedicated chamber
musician as well as solo artist, he has
collaborated with musicians in North America,
Europe and Asia, in addition to working
with artists in other disciplines, including
Mikhail Baryshnikov, who invited Mr. Liu
to work with his White Oak Dance Project.
His concerts have heard over the airwaves
around the world, and a biography on his
life was broadcast on Taiwanese National
Television.
Born in Kaohsiung,
Taiwan, Meng-Chieh Liu began his piano studies
early and at age 13 was accepted by The Curtis
Institute of Music to study with Jorge Bolet,
Claude Frank, and Eleanor Sokoloff. He has
received The 2002 Philadelphia Musical Fund
Society Career Advancement Award and first
prizes in the Stravinsky, Asia Pacific Piano
and Mieczyslaw Munz competitions. Mr. Liu
has been a member of The Curtis Institute’s
faculty since 1993, the year he graduated.
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